“We Have To Look Out For Our People”: Hon. Fahie Says

Opposition Member and First District Representative, Hon. Andrew Fahie announced in the House of Assembly on 2 November that there is little to no reason why Government ought to be hiring persons from overseas for certain positions, and offering various allowances and bonuses.

In his debate contribution to the Employee Mobility [Amendment] Act, 2015 Bill the Legislator said that he is peeved when expatriates are recruited for positions that qualified BV Islanders are able to fill: “I think those are things of the past, because those were the days when we could not find people. That is now supposed to be limited to certain criteria, certain cases. We have to limit that now…that’s a thing of the past.”

Hon. Fahie explained that giving the positions to suitable Virgin Islanders will avoid government from having to enter contracts where they are required to offer lodging and lump sum gratuity: “I always had a pet peeve with it Madam Speaker, now that we have matured as a country and we have developed we can bring that to an end. Only deal with it in extreme cases.”

The Opposition Member said that in some cases there are persons here in the Territory who have the necessary qualifications Government seek, but the job is offered to someone overseas instead: “Could you imagine that I was studying something and someone else was studying something they are a foreigner and we apply. I am here and they come in on a contract — they get housing they get everything. Then they turn round and they get their gratuity of course, because of the finite of their contract; nothing against anyone coming in, but (they’re) in an area that we didn’t really need the person,” the Legislator said.

“Financially they leave ahead, at the same time my GPA might have been more, I might have been doing better in college, but the system allows them to be ahead. We have to look out for our people more Madame Speaker,” he added.